Tag: Trending
Powerviolence is Back: Nothing Less Mini Fest w/ Hong Kong F*ck You at 1720
Danny Ryan
November 19, 2025
Most JankySmooth readers are likely familiar with the recent “hardcore renaissance” that music outlets have been raving about post-Covid with the rise of bands like Turnstile, Drain, Scowl, and Knocked Loose; but less talked about are the current revivals of punk subgenres that have not quite yet received the same level of media attention. LA’s underground is deeply familiar with the excitement surrounding the rising popularity in Oi, street punk, and more recently: powerviolence. During the 2010’s powerviolence and the incorporations of genres like noise and power-electronics were much more common than you see in the hardcore scene nowadays, but there is a rising scene of artists hoping to bring the avant-garde abrasive elements of anarcho-punk back to the forefront. related: Sound And Fury 2025 – Everybody Spinkick! Hong Kong Fuck You (HFKY for short) are among the leaders in blazing this trail, and their dedication to the art of noise is so unique in the modern landscape that LA’s staple promoter for the rare vinyl side of hardcore punk, Nothingless Booking, decided to host a mini-festival at 1720 Warehouse on November 7, 2025 around this concept. It was an absolutely stacked bill including Azusa’s powerviolence legends ACxDC, the recent
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases by Orville Peck and FKA Twigs
Danny Ryan
November 14, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Releases by Drain and Danny Brown Today’s albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are releases from two of the most forward-thinking and strongest personalities in music pop culture at the moment, Orville Peck for country music and FKA Twigs for art-pop music. While Orville Peck’s release Appaloosa is just an EP and FKA Twigs’ newest album Eusexua Afterglow appears to be a sister album to her previous release, both of these releases are more groundbreaking staples in these artists’ discographies than you would expect. Orville Peck: Appaloosa (released November 14, 2025):
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases by Drain and Danny Brown
Danny Ryan
November 7, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – Chat Pile w/ Hayden Pedigo and Guided By Voices Today’s albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are two of the most ambitious releases of the year from scenes that used to be more closely connected than you see nowadays. The relationship between punk and hip-hop has a long history and this fusion was a staple of underground shows in Los Angeles for the longest time. There are very few rappers that cross over into punk, hardcore, or metal anymore but Danny Brown has consistently been dedicated to these collaborations since his tour
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Soft Play and KennyHoopla Make WeHo Punk Again at The Roxy
Taylor Wong
November 4, 2025
It was Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at the legendary Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood, and the night had that undeniable buzz that only happens when a crowd knows they’re about to witness something unhinged in the best possible way. The audience was young, charged, and balanced; a good mix of people, but it was the women who owned the pit. They slammed, laughed, picked each other up, and set the tone for the night; wild but communal. The lineup was a dream pairing for anyone who still believes live music should leave a bruise: KennyHoopla and Soft Play, two acts with nothing to prove but everything to burn. related: L7 Celebrate 40 Years w/ Lunachicks And Friends at The Belasco KennyHoopla took the stage like a live wire, feeding on the room’s pulse from the first note. He was restless and genuine, bounding from one end of the stage to the other, never still long enough to cool down. His set felt like sprinting through an emotional minefield: loud, tender, and kinetic. Some of the tracks in the mix included “how will i rest in peace if i’m buried by a highway?”, “ESTELLA”, “hollywood sucks”, and “monalisa,
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Janky Fresh Friday- Chat Pile w/ Hayden Pedigo and Guided By Voices
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 31, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day. related: Janky Fresh Friday- New Releases From Militarie Gun and Tame Impala This week we have an album from a punk rock institution and a band creating an institution since no others exist that they can fit into neatly. related: Janky Fresh Friday- Record Release Shows for Spiritual Cramp and Patriarchy Danny Baraz gives us his thoughts on the unlikely collaboration between Chat Pile and singer/songwriter, Hayden Pedigo and Rob Shepyer delves into an all time personal favorite that’s back and still has something to say- Guided by Voices. Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo- “In The Earth Again” Computer Students Once the initial shock of “In The Earth Again”, the full length collaboration album between Oklahoma City’s Chat Pile and Amarillo Texas’ Hayden Pedigo wears off, what’s left is a surprisingly cohesive concept album between kindred spirits. The contrast in bodies of work is miles apart in sound but the final product
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Take This: Win Tickets To Substance Fest 2025 at Belasco
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 27, 2025
Substance 2025 is being held at The Belasco Theater on November 7th and 8th and we are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to one of our favorite festivals of the year. You can buy tickets now or enter our giveaway below. Substance Festival is back for 2025, ready to return to Downtown LA’s most spectacular cathedral- The Belasco Theater. The two-day event celebrates the best in post-punk, darkwave, EBM, industrial, death rock and techno, merging legacy acts with the new blood both foreign and domestic. related: Becoming The Night- Substance 2019 Substance seems to be simultaneously reflecting and reshaping the underground. While having TR/ST play two iconic albums on back to back nights seems relatively safe compared to last year’s 3 weekend marathon of musical exploration at an iconic but now defunct venue, we couldn’t be more excited to see Qual and not wait half an hour to use the bathroom. related: Cruel World 2025 at The Rose Bowl- We’re Only Happy When It Rains Expect fog, strobe, sweat, and soundscapes to seed your dreams. This isn’t really a casual night out for most attendees. The Belasco’s art-deco bones, state of the art sound and gothic ambience make it
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Janky Fresh Friday: Record Release Shows for Spiritual Cramp and Patriarchy
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 24, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Albums from Tame Impala and Militarie Gun This week we mix things up a bit to examine two new albums with late-October 2025 record release parties in LA. Spiritual Cramp’s free show sponsored by Marshall at Zebulon on 10/21 reminded us of what rock music should be all about; and Patriarchy’s upcoming record release party at The Lodge Room on 10/26 is about to be one of the creepiest and most gritty dance-parties you’ve ever been to, just in time for Halloween. Author Danny Ryan gives his review of Spiritual Cramp’s RUDE, with photos by Taylor Wong from the Zebulon record release show. Author Rob Shepyer breaks down Patriarchy’s new album for us in preparation of their upcoming Lodge Room performance. Spiritual Cramp: RUDE (released
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Sextile At The Novo: The Most Important Band In Los Angeles?
Danny Baraz
October 22, 2025
A bold question. What elements create rank of importance in art? It’s easier in a music scene. Sextile played The Novo on October 11, 2025 and they left a lasting impression for anyone who was there to witness it. Walking into the venue that night felt like stepping into a vortex where underground club culture, raw post-punk perfection, and Los Angeles local band chaos fused into something futuristic. I’ve seen Sextile before, but this was different. This was a band leveling up in real time, playing like they were headlining a festival the world hasn’t invented yet. And Los Angeles showed up to The Novo, hard. The Novo was already buzzing the second I walked in, bodies packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor, the balcony filling fast with goths, punks, ravers, skaters, fashion kids, and aging industrial heads who looked like they’d been waiting 20 years for a band like this. Sextile draws tribes. And when a band pulls that many subcultures under one roof, you know something important is about to go down. related: Dark Entries- Bauhaus at The Palladium related: The Lost Coverage of Substance Fest 2022 – Los Angeles Theater The night kicked off with the kind of
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Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) Announces Autobiography For November 18th
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 18, 2025
How often is it that Cocteau Twins fans get ANY new material? Simon Raymonde’s new autobiography “In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor And Me” comes out November 18th via Bonnier Books! – Pre-Order HERE British producer, musician and record-company CEO Simon Raymonde helped to create some of the most beautiful and memorable albums of the ’80s and ’90s. From 1983 to 1997, he was one-third of seminal band Cocteau Twins and associated offshoot This Mortal Coil where he helped create music that continues to cast a spell over millions. He also launched and still runs the influential record label, Bella Union. To celebrate and promote the release of his auto-biography, Raymonde has also announced several book events across the U.S including stops at Los Angeles’ Book Soup and New York’s Rough Trade Records, Seattle’s Easy Street Records, and in San Francisco at a venue to be announced soon. For more info on the book events, visit https://linktr.ee/mrsimonraymonde. BOOK EVENTS November 10 – Seattle, WA @ Easy Street Records November 11 – San Francisco, CA @ TBA November 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Book Soup November 15 – New York @ Rough Trade Records Beginning with Simon’s remarkable
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums from Tame Impala and Militarie Gun
Rob Shepyer
October 17, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Albums from Mobb Deep and Sanguisugabogg Today’s albums for Friday, October 17th, 2025, are two highly anticipated bangers, one from arguably the most vibrant and prevalent scene in Los Angeles and the other from one of the most iconic artists in psychedelic rock, the former pillar genre of LA’s underground music. First though, let’s define fresh or freshness. Before the term was ever appropriated for music, culture, or fashion, it was once a descriptor for food, something that replenishes us, quenches our hunger and thirst, and ultimately connects our bodies to
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Take This: Win Tickets to Nation of Language at The Fonda Theater Oct 16th
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 13, 2025
Get ready, Los Angeles: Nation of Language is hitting The Fonda Theater on Thursday, October 16. We’re giving away 2 pairs of tickets to the show- you can buy tickets now or enter our giveaway (see below). related: Cruel World 2024- A Legacy Forms in Year 3 at The Rose Bowl Nation of Language has steadily carved a unique lane in modern synth-pop, balancing nostalgia with forward momentum. Their recent work (including the upcoming album Dance Called Memory) finds them refining emotional texture, with shimmering production and lyrics that echo in memory. Expect both fan favorites and fresh tracks to intersect under the Fonda’s lights. The October 16 concert is part of a special two-night run (Oct 15 + 16) at The Fonda — marking a moment for the band to fully immerse Los Angeles in their evolving sound. KCRW is presenting the Oct 16 date. How to Enter the Nation of Language Giveaway Tag a Friend on our “Nation of Language Ticket Giveaway” post on our socials @jankysmooth and make sure you both like the post. Make sure you’re both following us @jankysooth Winner will be announced on Wednesday, Oct 15th at Noon pacific time. related: Glass Beams
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums from Mobb Deep and Sanguisugabogg
Danny Ryan
October 10, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. Sanguisugabogg: Hideous Aftermath (released October 10, 2025): Century Media Records Sanguisugabogg has been my favorite modern metal band for the past few years, with their absolutely masterful craft of combining the sounds of classic 90’s death metal with the attitude of the modern hardcore scene to create an environment of absolute chaotic violence at their live shows. Death metal/Slam metal have been crossing over into the hardcore scene much more within the past year, but unfortunately this album does seem like it’s a mark for the beginning of the end for this collision of worlds. The new album “Hideous Aftermath” is significantly slower than the previous ones, and it takes itself much more seriously. I was actually relieved upon hearing the first breakdown of the album, as I almost forgot I was listening to a Sanguisugabogg album with how long it took for the crowd-killing moments to arrive. related: Sound And Fury 2023 – The Stage Dive Will Never Die The casual metalhead who sees Sanguisugabogg at a large festival while
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